Recent Publications

Contemporary Chemical Weapons Use in Syria and Iraq by the Assad Regime and the Islamic State
February 7, 2019 — Author: Dr Robert J BunkerView the Executive Summary This monograph focuses on an understudied, but yet a critically important and timely component of land warfare, related to the battlefield use of chemical weapons by contemporary threat forces. It will do so by focusing on two case studies related to chemical weapons use in Syria and Iraq by the... MORE

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Examining the Roles of Army Reserve Component Forces in Military Cyberspace Operations
January 31, 2019 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L CatonView the Executive Summary Cyberspace operations have become pervasive in the United States, and they enable many aspects of modern life for the average citizen, such as entertainment, communication, education, transportation, banking, and voting. The continuing development of the U.S. Army and Department of Defense (DoD)... MORE

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Scenario Planning and Strategy in the Pentagon
January 29, 2019 — Author: Dr Michael FitzsimmonsView the Executive Summary Scenario planning should be one of the Pentagon’s most important tools for developing strategy for an uncertain future. However, the formalized joint scenario planning process to support strategy and force development—Support for Strategic Analysis—has faced many challenges over the past 2... MORE

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Executive Summary: The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, Vol. 2
January 17, 2019 — Author: USAWC Strategic Studies Institute Originally commissioned by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s interim examination of military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This study, published in two volumes, is a narrative history that tells the story of U.S. forces in Iraq, mainly... MORE

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Executive Summary: The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, Vol. 1
January 17, 2019 — Author: USAWC Strategic Studies Institute Originally commissioned by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s interim examination of military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This study, published in two volumes, is a narrative history that tells the story of U.S. forces in Iraq, mainly... MORE

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The U.S. Army in the Iraq War — Volume 2: Surge and Withdrawal, 2007-2011
January 17, 2019 — Authors: COL Joel D. Rayburn, COL Frank K. SobchakView the Executive Summary The Iraq War has been the costliest U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War. To date, few official studies have been conducted to review what happened, why it happened, and what lessons should be drawn. The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s initial operational level... MORE

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The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 1: Invasion – Insurgency – Civil War, 2003-2006
January 17, 2019 — Authors: COL Joel D. Rayburn, COL Frank K. SobchakView the Executive Summary The Iraq War has been the costliest U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War. To date, few official studies have been conducted to review what happened, why it happened, and what lessons should be drawn. The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s initial operational level... MORE

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Parameters VOL. 48 NO. 3 Autumn 2018
January 16, 2019 — Editor: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II FEATURES: Challenges for Civil-Military Relations: "Policy Revolt: Army Opposition to the Korea Withdrawal Plan On Alliances and Coalitions" by Eric B. Setzekorn."The Walter Reed Scandal and the All-Volunteer Force" by Richard G. Malish. On Alliances and Coalitions: "Fighting and Learning in the Great War" by... MORE

Maneuvering the Saudi-Iranian Rivalry in the Middle East: How the United States Can Preserve and Protect Its Long-Term Interests in the Region
November 15, 2018 — Author: Mr Gregory AftandilianView the Executive SummaryThis monograph examines the conflicts in the Middle East region between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the so-called proxy wars that are being fought between them, and discusses ways that the United States needs to maneuver carefully in this struggle to preserve its long-term interests in the area... MORE

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Creating Great Expectations: Strategic Communications and American Airpower
November 5, 2018 — Author: Dr Conrad C CraneView the Executive SummaryAmericans have always been uniquely attracted to airpower, a fact that has been successfully exploited by generations of U.S. Air Force leaders in information campaigns. But as a result, the nation has often entered conflicts with exorbitant expectations about what airpower could actually... MORE

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Silent Partners: Organized Crime, Irregular Groups, and Nation-States
October 23, 2018 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive SummaryThe U.S. Army increasingly faces adversaries that are difficult to define. The threat landscape is further complicated by the silent partnership between criminal organizations, irregular groups, and nation-states. This collaboration, whatever its exact nature, is problematic, because it confounds... MORE

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Strategic Insights: Better Late Than Never
October 23, 2018 — Author: Dr M Chris MasonSeventeen years ago this November, in a conference room in the Pentagon, I explained that, in whatever form it took, the new Government of Afghanistan would require some sort of provincial or territorial forces under Afghan Army command to augment the regular national army, which the interagency working group was tasked with... MORE

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